Urban Areas
Whitney Anthonysamy
Associate Professor of Biology, University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy
- Email: whitney.anthonysamy@uhsp.edu
Primary subject(s) of interest: Urban ecology, population ecology, conservation biology, herpetology
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: United States (Saint Louis, Missouri)
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Freshwater, Urban areas
Matthew Austin
Curator of Biodiversity Data, Herbarium, Missouri Botanical Garden
- Email: maustin@mobot.org
Primary subject(s) of interest: Herbaria, global change biology, hyperspectral botany, phenology, ecology
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, South America
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Grassland, Urban Areas, Botanic Gardens and Herbaria
Stephen Blake
Assistant Professor, Biology Department, Saint Louis University
- Email: stephen.blake@slu.edu
Primary subject(s) of interest: Ecology and conservation of mega vertebrates
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Congo Basin, Galapagos Islands, Central Africa, Saint Louis, MO
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Grassland, Agricultural land, Urban areas
LEC Seed Grant Projects
David Bogler
Research Associate, Missouri Botanical Garden
Primary subject(s) of interest: Plant systematics, floristics, molecular systematics, anatomy, microscopy, ecology, sustainability, palynology, teaching
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: USA, Mexico
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Savanna, Shrubland, Grassland, Deserts, Agricultural land, Urban areas
Emily Bowling
Conservation Education Liaison, Saint Louis Zoo
- Email: bowling@stlzoo.org
Primary subject(s) of interest: Palm oil sustainability, public education, local conservation
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Tropical rainforests, Forests, Agricultural land, Urban areas
Louise Bradshaw
Retired Director of Education, Saint Louis Zoo
- Email: bradshawrl@yahoo.com
Primary subject(s) of interest: Climate change education, enhancing biodiversity, community-based conservation engagement, nature-based education, urban biodiversity
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Saint Louis region (Missouri)
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Urban biodiversity
Gautam Dantas
Conan Professor in Laboratory and Genomic Medicine, WashU School of Medicine
- Email: dantas@wustl.edu
Primary subject(s) of interest: (1) Understanding how diverse microbiomes respond to chemical and biological perturbations, (2) harnessing these insights to rationally design therapeutic strategies to curtail antibiotic-resistant pathogens and remedy pathological microbiome states, and (3) engineering microbial catalysts to convert renewable biomass into value chemicals such as biofuels and pharmaceuticals.
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: United States, El Salvador, Peru, Pakistan, Niger, South Africa, Republic of Congo, Netherlands, China, India
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Freshwater, Agricultural lands, Urban areas, Built environment
Sharon Deem
Director, Saint Louis Zoo Institute for Conservation Medicine
- Email: deem@stlzoo.org
Primary subject(s) of interest: One health, conservation medicine
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Global with current emphasis areas in USA, Ecuador, Brazil, Kenya, Madagascar
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Savanna, Grassland, Freshwater, Marine, Agricultural land, Urban areas, Zoos
LEC Seed Grant Projects
- Ecological Niche Modeling to Examine the Interactions Between Climate-related Environmental Change, Food Security, Landscape Diversity and an Emerging Infectious Disease
- Expanding the Toolset for Chelonian Conservation: Understanding the Diversity, Distribution and Dynamics of Box Turtle Microbiomes
- Quantifying Effects of Parasites on Ecosystem Nutrient Cycling
- Reducing Human-Wildlife Conflict in East Africa Using Participatory Action Research
- Using iDNA to Increase the Protected Status of the Djeke Triangle and Enhance Disease Surveillance in the Congo Basin
- Going Wild in Forest Park: Tracking the Movement of Wildlife and Disease in an Urban Food Web
Karen DeMatteo
Research Affiliate, WildCare Institute at the Saint Louis Zoo / Academic Advisor, Biology Department, WashU / Conservation Detection Dog Handler/Trainer, A K9 Nose Knows
- Email: KarenDeMatteo@outlook.com
Primary subject(s) of interest: Ecology, conservation, and management of predator-prey species using noninvasive techniques
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: United States (South Carolina, Georgia, North Carolina, Nebraska, and San Francisco), South America (Argentina), & Asia (Bhutan)
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Shrubland, Grassland, Agricultural land, Urban areas, Monocultural plantations & fragmented ecosystems
Aimee Dunlap
Associate Professor, Biology Department, University of Missouri-Saint Louis
- Email: aimee.dunlap@umsl.edu
Primary subject(s) of interest: Cognitive, behavioral, and urban ecology, mechanisms of decision making, pollination and foraging in bees and flies
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Shrubland, Grassland, Agricultural land, Urban areas, Zoos
Justin Elden
Curator of Herpetology & Aquatics, Saint Louis Zoo
- Email: elden@stlzoo.org
Primary subject(s) of interest: Herpetology, Conservation Biology, Cave Biology
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Via the Saint Louis Zoo(Missouri, Armenia, Ecuador) and externally (Guatemala, Costa Rica, Ukraine, Puerto Rico)
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Grassland, Freshwater, Caves and subterranean habitats, Deserts, Urban areas, Zoos
Martha Fischer
General Curator and Director of WildCare Institute Center for Conservation in the Horn of Africa, Saint Louis Zoo WildCare Park
- Email: Fischer@stlzoo.org
Primary subject(s) of interest: All Horn if Africa wildlife including Grevy's zebra, hirola, black rhino, mountain nyala, giraffe, African wild ass, and Ethiopian wolf; southeast Asian wildlife, such as banteng; local Missouri wildlife and urban biodiversity
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Horn of Africa, including Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti and Somaliland
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Savanna, Grassland, Deserts, Urban areas
LEC Seed Grant Projects
Kasey Fowler-Finn
Associate Professor of Biology, Saint Louis University
Primary subject(s) of interest: Evolutionary ecology, behavioral ecology, vibrational communication, biotremology, climate change, evolution of complex traits, animal communication
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Saint Louis, Eastern North America
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Shrubland, Grassland, Agricultural land, Urban areas
Michael Frachetti
Professor of Archaeology, WashU
- Email: frachetti@wustl.edu
Primary subject(s) of interest: Anthropology, Archaeology, Asia, Human Ecology, Grassland ecology, Tropical jungles
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Asia-Pacific (Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal)
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Grassland, Deserts, Urban areas, Mountains
Gayle Fritz
Professor Emerita of Archaeology, WashU
- Email: gjfritz@wustl.edu
Primary subject(s) of interest: Agriculture, plant domestication, archaeobotany, ethnobotany, and conservation
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Mexico, United States (Mississippi River valley, St Louis Metro area, SE and Southwest US)
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Savanna, Grassland, Freshwater, Deserts, Agricultural land, Urban areas
Roy Gereau
Assistant Curator and Tanzania Program Director, Missouri Botanical Garden
Primary subject(s) of interest: Floristics, plant taxonomy, and plant conservation
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Tanzania
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Savanna, Shrubland, Grassland, Urban areas
Theresa Gildner
Assistant Professor of Biological Anthropology, WashU
- Email: gildner@wustl.edu
Primary subject(s) of interest: Human biology, parasitology, host-pathogen coevolution, immune function
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Ecuador, United States
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Agricultural land, Urban areas, Rainforest
Danelle Haake
RiverWatch Director and Stream Ecologist, National Great Rivers Research and Education Center
- Email: dhaake@lc.edu
Primary subject(s) of interest: Anthropogenic impacts on aquatic invertebrates; ecological impacts of pavement deicers; freshwater mussel population dynamics; community science; ecological epidemiology
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: United States
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Freshwater, Urban areas
LEC Seed Grant Projects
Erik Herzog
Professor of Biology and Neuroscience, Viktor Hamburger Distinguished Professor in Arts & Sciences, WashU
- Email: herzog@biology.wustl.edu
Primary subject(s) of interest: Circadian rhythms, light pollution, preterm birth, brain cancer
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: United States
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Grassland, Deserts, Urban areas
Nathan Jacobs
Professor, Computer Science & Engineering, WashU
- Email: jacobsn@wustl.edu
Primary subject(s) of interest: Computer Vision, Remote Sensing, Species Distribution Modeling
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Savanna, Shrubland, Grassland, Deserts, Agricultural land, Urban areas
Ben Jellen
Associate Professor of Biological Sciences, University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy
- Email: ben.jellen@gmail.com
Primary subject(s) of interest: The ecology, physiology, behavior, learning, and conservation of amphibians, reptiles and birds
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Central and eastern Missouri and central and southern Illinois
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Grassland, Freshwater, Urban areas
Doug Ladd
Senior Lecturer, Sam Fox School, WashU
- Email: dladd@mobot.org
Primary subject(s) of interest: Lichen taxonomy
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: North America (Interior Highlands, Great Plains, Central Tallgrass Prairie, Great Lakes)
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Savanna, Grassland, Urban areas
LEC Seed Grant Projects
Kelly Lane-deGraaf
Associate Professor of Epidemiology, College for Public Health and Social Justice, Saint Louis University
- Email: kelly.lanedegraaf@slu.edu
Primary subject(s) of interest: Disease ecology, environmental racism, population genetics
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Urban areas
Danielle N. Lee
Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences, Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville
- Email: danilee@siue.edu
Primary subject(s) of interest: Animal Behavior, Mammalogy, Ethology, Urban Ecology, Science Outreach, STEM Diversity
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Mid-West United States (Saint Louis Metro area); Tanzania (Arusha)
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Grassland, Urban areas
Kieran Lindsey
Program Director, Online Master of Natural Resources, Virginia Tech
- Email: kieranlindsey@gmail.com
Primary subject(s) of interest: Urban wildlife, human-wildlife interface
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: United States, Midwest and Mid-Atlantic
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Urban areas
Liz Mallott
Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, WashU
- Email: mallott@wustl.edu
Primary subject(s) of interest: human and nonhuman primates, gut microbiome, host-microbe interactions, molecular and microbial ecology
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: United States, Costa Rica, Mexico, Ecuador, Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Asia
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Savanna, Shrubland, Urban Areas
Virginia (Ginger) McKay
Assistant Professor, WashU Brown School
- Email: Virginia.mckay@wustl.edu
Primary subject(s) of interest: Infectious disease, Antimicrobial stewardship, Implementation science
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: United States
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Urban areas
Kim Medley
Director, Tyson Research Center, WashU
- Email: kim.medley@wustl.edu
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: United States (Missouri)
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Grassland, Freshwater, Urban areas
LEC Seed Grant Projects
Jeffrey Meshach
Deputy Director, World Bird Sanctuary
Affiliated Institution(s): Saint Louis Zoo, Saint Louis University
Primary subject(s) of interest: Birds, especially birds of prey
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: United States (Missouri)
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Freshwater, Urban areas
Sara Miller
Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, UMSL
- Email: semiller@umsl.edu
Primary subject(s) of interest: Diversification in social insects, evolutionary ecology, and population genetics, urban ecology
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: USA (Missouri)
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Agricultural land, Urban areas
Travis Mossotti
Assistant Director IT Research Systems, WashU
- Email: travis.mossotti@wustl.edu
Primary subject(s) of interest: Poetry & Environmental Stewardship; Interdisciplinary Conservation Programming; Language of Conservation
Primary geographic interest: United States
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Shrubland, Grassland, Freshwater, Marine, Deserts, Urban areas
Jamie Palmer
Technician, Wildlife Biologist, Institute for Conservation Medicine, Saint Louis Zoo
- Email: jpalmer@stlzoo.org
Primary subject(s) of interest: Conservation Medicine, One Health, Wildlife Health, Herpetology
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Global
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Freshwater, Deserts, Urban areas, Zoos
Nezka Pfeifer
Museum Curator, Stephen and Peter Sachs Museum, Missouri Botanical Garden
- Email: npfeifer@mobot.org
Primary subject(s) of interest: Museum studies, museum exhibitions, history, contemporary art, anthropology, conservation
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Global
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: All
Jenny Price
Research Fellow, Sam Fox School, WashU
- Email: jjprice@wustl.edu
Primary subject(s) of interest: Public arts and humanities projects--Environment and public space
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: United States (Los Angeles, Saint Louis, Missouri)
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Urban areas
Fidy Rasambainarivo
Assistant Professor, Biology
Primary subject(s) of interest: Conservation medicine, emergence and transmission of diseases at the human-domestic animal and wildlife interface; Carnivore conservation (Felidae, Canidae, Ursidae)
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: United States, Madagascar
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Urban areas, Zoos
Rodrigo Reis
Professor, WashU Brown School
- Email: reis.rodrigo@wustl.edu
Primary subject(s) of interest: Livability, Built environment, and Public health
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Brazil, United Kingdom, United States (St. Louis), Mexico
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Urban areas
Susanne Renner
Honorary Professor of Biology, WashU
- Email: srenner@wustl.edu
Primary subject(s) of interest: Plant evolution; plant sexual systems; mutualisms; biogeography; history of systematics
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Worldwide
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Urban areas
Barbara Schaal
Professor of Biology, Mary-Dell Chilton Distinguished Professor, WashU
- Email: schaal@wustl.edu
Primary subject(s) of interest: Evolutionary genetics of plants, molecular evolution of genetics, systematics, and quantitative genetics
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Grassland, Agricultural land, Urban areas
Odean Serrano
Founder, Countering Wildlife Trafficking Institute
- Email: odean@cwtinstitute.org
Primary subject(s) of interest: Environmental Security, Transnational Threats, Intelligence Fusion Analytics
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Global, Central African Republic, Madagascar, United States, Mali*, Burkina Faso (*Support research remotely from US)
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Savanna, Shrubland, Grassland, Freshwater, Marine, Caves and subterranean habitats, Deserts, Agricultural land, Urban areas
Daniel Warren
Professor, Saint Louis University
- Email: daniel.warren@slu.edu
Primary subject(s) of interest: Comparative Animal Physiology, Ecophysiology, Metabolism, Thermal Biology
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Midwestern United States from Missouri to the Canadian border
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Freshwater, Urban areas
Emily Warschefsky
Alice Brown Curator & Associate Scientist, William L. Brown Center, Missouri Botanical Garden
- Email: ewarschefsky@mobot.org
Primary subject(s) of interest: Plant domestication and evolution, phylogenomics, population genomics, hybridization
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, United States
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Agricultural land, Urban areas
Katie Westby
Senior Scientist, Tyson Research Center, WashU
- Email: kwestby@wustl.edu
Primary subject(s) of interest: Ecology and evolution of mosquitoes, urban, invasion, and disease ecology.
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: United States (Saint Louis, MO)
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Urban areas
Tad Yankoski
Senior Entomologist, Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House, Missouri Botanical Garden
Primary subject(s) of interest: Insect biodiversity and conservation, citizen science, insect husbandry
Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Global, with a focus on animals of the tropics (Costa Rica) and USA (Missouri)
Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Savanna, Shrubland, Grassland, Deserts, Agricultural land, Urban areas, Zoos